End of the year reflection: Crafting your narrative in the year's final chapter
If you’re winding down for the year and are keen to do an end of the year reflection, this article is written just for you in mind ;)
I have been meaning to come up with my own take on the topic of end of the year reflection. That’s why in these past few weeks I have been jotting down some notes and rough drafts.
I tend to get the best kinds of inspiration when I can press the pause button and feel relaxed. That spark of inspiration came up tonight while I was doing yoga.
Finally, after mulling over the topic of end of the year reflection for a while, something clicked. So, let’s get cracking…
What inspired me to do end of the year reflection
The end of the year typically lends itself to a smorsgaboard of activities to do. More often that not though, I felt overwhelmed as the end of the year approached.
A part of me wanted to plan a bunch of activities during this festive season with Christmas and New Year in the same month.
A part of me wanted to embrace my reflective self, cocooned up in a cosy jammies, listening to my face folks music, and write some end of the year reflection.
A part of me wanted to try new things while the other part of me wanted to do what I did last year.
You catch my drift here…
End of the year was a combination of stressful, joyful, and bountiful me all in one month.
At one point I asked myself if there is a way to make end of the year not as go, go, go.
That’s when and actually where doing an end of the year reflection has done wonder for me.
If you’re keen to try doing an end of year reflection, here are a few pointers to make it both meaningful and enjoyable.
This article is an extension from what I wrote last year on the topic of New Year’s Resolution. It was a time when I started questioning the meaning and purpose of coming up with an end-of-the-year resolution every single year and falling flat pretty much almost every single time as well. The excitement and intensity of my commitment to fulfill my New Year's resolution typically waned off by February.
The first step in doing end of the year reflection is…
Set the scene for your end of the year reflection
The very first step is you need to carve out time and find a cozy nook somewhere at home.
Schedule out an hour or so (whatever amount of time you need) in your calendar, like any other appointment.
Add extra touches to make the moment special and the space inviting. If you’re into scents, perhaps lighting up a candle or incense. Grab a cuppa coffee or your fave wine + any writing tools.
Ground and center yourself. Make sure your phone and devices are on silent.
All set?!? Then, let’s move along with some of the prompting end of the year reflection questions we got here…
First end of the year prompting question: if you can boil the year down in five words what would that be
The first step in your end of the year reflection is taking a bit of a step back and looking at our whole entire year from a bird’s eye view can be very helpful. Thinking of the year as a whole vs month to month can give us a different perspective.
In the process of jotting them down, write what comes to mind. Let the moment guide you. Whatever words pop up. It’s meant to be an experiential and not overly staged.
The next step in your end of the year reflection is: once you have completed writing those five words, write a letter to yourself using the keywords you have identified above.
**One reminder about your end of the year reflection letter is:
You get to decide the length of the letter. If at some point you feel so inspired to actually write a thousand word document based on one keyword, do that. It seems that the word really speaks to you, so let the word lead you..
Curious about my end of the year reflection?
I am all about walking my talk…and just so you know I will never promote an exercise that I don't believe in the value it has to offer myself.
So, Let me go first here to get the ball rolling ( and I welcome you to share your end of the year reflection and letter, if you feel so inclined to share)…
My five words are:
Believe in yourself
Confident
Accomplished
Slow and steady
Things take time
Pointer: in the process of coming up with these words, I just sit in silence and let the words emerge without overly directive of what words are generated.
Another reminder when you do your end of the year reflection:
Trust your process
At the time of this writing, I don't know yet how my letter will turn out. The intention behind the exercise is to let your intuition inspire and lead you.
And here’s my end of the year reflection letter to myself:
I want to address this part of the letter to the January 2023 version of me:
After you say goodbye to your dream job in pursuit of a bigger cause, one message that you need to constantly return to is “ believe in yourself.” You are finally able to practice your trade and skills in a way that fully aligns with you. Some months may be more smooth sailing than others. Some months will be tougher than others, and those times are when your confidence in yourself would be tested.
Your day to day reality will look different from your neighboring counselors because the essence and heart of your practice are different. Comparison is treacherous. It is the cancer of your soul. It's normal to see what's on the other side of the picket fence.
It is okay to take a look at the neighboring shop for some forms of inspiration because you won't be able to exist and thrive in isolation. Always remember to put your spin to it, so that it speaks to you and your audience specifically.
Things take time and remember, always remember, that you are where you are supposed to be. Again, do not compare yourself to people who are at a different stage in their practice or from their practice differently from you.
Big sigh
And now I would like to address this end of the year reflection letter to my current self:
You have done a phenomenal job! Even though it was not easy, in fact there have been a few moments when your confidence in yourself was tested time and again. You had been able to develop fierce confidence in yourself. You fiercely believe in yourself and keep an open mind. Confidence is good, though confidence overdose would become arrogance and that wouldn't serve you.
Over time you have redefined the meaning of success. You started off the year thinking that success means having a full practice with the possibility of carrying a small waitlist. Though over time your perspective shifted to defining success as working within your capacity, staying true to yourself, and getting to work with clients who sees and appreciates you. Your growth has been slow and steady and you're well accomplished for showing up as yourself.
And a bit of an endnote in my end of the year reflection:
After writing the end of the year reflection letter out and re-reading it, I noticed that it is a particularly positive sounding piece of writing. This is in no way an implicit way to make you write something positive. This year has been a tough start with a sweet ending for me. If the outlook of the year looks different for you, hey, that is okay.
I decided to highlight some parts as they stood out to me when I re-read it.
Side note, sharing my end of the year reflection feels very vulnerable.
Though as someone who firmly believes in the value of walking my talk, I thought sharing my end of the year reflection can hopefully inspire and give you a bit of a rough ideas on how to go about with yours.
Well, I gotta admit that I also appreciate having a two-way conversation. Not just me telling you “hey do this end of the year reflection exercise” and yet some of you may be left wondering if I did this just for “work.”
Btw, even if my end of the year reflection and letter are not all positive sounding, I will still share it. That can normalize being in any state of life.
As humans, we naturally gravitate towards genuine stories.
That is how we feel connected.
Often I felt inspired to look within when I read or hear someone else’s personal sharing.
My hope is to inspire you to look within yourself and if you feel so inclined to share, feel free to leave a comment.
A few more prompting questions for your end of the year reflection:
What felt rough this year?
What did I learnt about myself from those scenarios?
What/who made you joyful this year?
Who showed up for you this year? What did they do when you need someone?
What was your favourite month of the year? How come and what happened then?
How can you bring in what felt good from this year into the next year?
Was there something you wished you could change from this year? If so, what is it? And how come/why?
End of the year reflection can be transformational!!
Doing end of the year reflection inspired me to adopt a more sustainable approach, that is developing a different habit, mindset, and perspective to approach life.
This year has been memorable and radically transformational for me in so many different ways. So, I have been doing lots of reflective work in the hope of translating my experience into something that I can see. I would love to invite you to come aboard if you resonate with the essence of my message and this exercise.
Still wondering if doing end of the year reflection is well worth it?
Well, I got you. When something works well, then it makes sense to maintain it with perhaps minor tweaks to finesse it for next year.
It took me a while to get into doing these end of the year reflection exercises, so if you have read this far and still not buying into this.
Don’t worry, it’s totally alright.
If you got the sense that it’s not for you, well it’s not for you then ;)
Hello, I’m Nita Agustin
Registered Clinical Counsellor based in Burnaby, BC
My jam is helping curious and questioning queer youth and young adults move from confusion to clarity.
Most of my clients shared feeling overwhelmed by the messages the world told them how they’re supposed to be. They do not want to be defined by what society told them about themselves.
In our work together, I guide clients in figuring out who they are, who they want to be, and how to get there. We do this by processing how their past impacted the way they live out their life today. From our work together, I noticed clients develop better self-awareness and experience improved quality of life as they can show up differently in their relationships.
I offer virtual and in-person sessions in Brentwood, North Burnaby. In the summer I also offer walk-and-walk in Confederation Park.
I am licensed to practise in BC, as well as all across Canada, so I support clients all over BC, all the way from Vancouver to Kitimat. Other than working with clients who reside in BC, I also can support clients who reside in Yukon Territories, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland.
Check out my About me page to learn more about what I do and have to offer for you. Also, explore my Services page to see how I can guide you in making shifts in your life today. If you feel ready to discover ways to live life on your own terms, I welcome you to book an initial intake session. I am so stoked to meet you and start figuring out how you can show up as your best self!
Throughout this pandemic, I witnessed telehealth virtual sessions become more of a norm, and it has been super transformative seeing clients can access mental health services from the comfort of their home.
There are lots of different stereotypes out there, and society tells us who we are supposed to be and what we are supposed to do in the world. It can feel very overwhelming and confusing to compare our personal experience against those ideas. The thing is, you no longer have to be defined by what society tells you. It is your life to live, and you get to decide who get a say about your life.
